Florencia Acevedo, a mother of three, used to brace herself every day for a long, difficult ride before commuting from her home south of Buenos Aires to Constitución, near the city center. It’s a 12-kilometer trip (about 7.5 miles), but because of limited public transportation options, it took her over an hour and a half each way. That’s time she would rather spend caring for her children.
Her quality of life improved significantly when Metrobus, the city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) service, launched a new route that reaches her neighborhood a few years ago. “I would say it takes me about half an hour less to get to and from work now, so I arrive faster to be with my kids,” she says.
Acevedo is among the millions of users of public transportation in the Argentine capital who are benefiting from several initiatives by the city of Buenos Aires to improve urban mobility. The city and its surroundings have almost 14 million inhabitants, or over 30 percent of the country’s population, making it the third most populous metropolitan area in Latin America.
IFC became a strategic partner of the city by providing a $50 million loan to finance critical infrastructure such as the Metrobus and bicycle routes. IFC is also offering technical advice on issues such as low-emission transport and energy-efficiency programs, and promotion of sustainable construction including in the most disadvantaged areas.
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